RUSSIA MUST TAKE XENOPHOBIA SERIOUSLY – ARMENIAN DIASPORA LEADER

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 31 2006

MOSCOW, May 31 (RIA Novosti) – Russia must develop a comprehensive
approach to fighting xenophobia and race-hate crimes, the president
of the Union of Armenians in Russia said Wednesday.

Extremism and xenophobia in Russia have been in the spotlight following
a wave of race-hate attacks across the country and the publication
of a report by Amnesty International that slammed the government for
not doing enough to combat the problem.

Ara Abramyan said 390 racially motivated attacks had been registered
in Russia in 2005, and that seven Armenians had been killed in the
country this year alone.

“This is not a problem of the Armenian people,” Abramyan said. “It
is a problem of our state, it is our common problem and only through
common efforts can we find a way out of this situation.”

In a murder that shocked the country, Vagan Abramyants, a 17-year-old
student at the Moscow Academy of Management, was stabbed to death on
the platform of Pushkinskaya metro station in the center of Moscow
at about 5 p.m. April 22.

Abramyan said society should reject members of radical nationalist
groups.

“They must know that they do not have a place in the society,” he
said, adding that the society should start an open dialogue with
young people on these sensitive issues.

Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said on May 17 that some 6,000
young people under the age of 18 were involved in extremist activities
in Russia.

NO BREAKTHROUGH IN SECRET TURKISH-ARMENIAN TALKS

The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 31 2006

Secret talks between Turkey and Armenia, launched after Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter to Armenian President Robert
Kocharian, have failed to make any headway coming out of their third
round, said media reports yesterday.

A part of the third session of secret talks was held on the sidelines
of the Turkey-European Union Troika meeting in Vienna, Austria last
March. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul closely followed the meetings
with Armenian officials that were kept secret from the media,
CNN-Turk reported.

Sources say that the Armenian response reached Ankara early this
month to Turkey’s suggestion for the establishment of two committees
to discuss mutual relations wasn’t welcomed, and the answer “to the
Turkish suggestions that they received was watered down.”

The Turkish side had proposed the establishment of two committees to
simultaneously hold talks on political issues and the Armenian genocide
allegations. In response, Yerevan rejected the Turkish suggestions,
stating that holding discussions about the “genocide” would make the
controversial issue debatable. It underlined that scholars can debate
the issue in conferences. Nevertheless Armenia did request the revival
of political talks between the two countries.

Following Yerevan’s objection to the establishment of the two
committees, including one comprised of historians from both countries
to study the Armenian genocide claims, Ankara is now preparing for
the fourth round of secret talks.

Foreign Ministry officials underlined that continued debates over
the genocide claims have “poisoned” Turkey’s relations with other
countries. Ankara will continue to exert effort to find a middle
ground and to solve its problems with Yerevan, they added.

TURKEY SEEKS TO NORMALIZE TIES WITH ARMENIA

Anatolia news agency
31 May 06

Ankara, 31 May: “Turkey is intending to pursue efforts to normalize
relations with Armenia,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik
Tan said on Wednesday [31 May].

Tan told a weekly news conference that Turkey was resolved to establish
peace, tranquillity and stability in its region as its traditional
foreign policy principle.

“Success of Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations (with Armenia)
depends on a more flexible and constructive approach from Yerevan as
well as to the overcoming of bilateral and regional problems. It also
depends on Armenia’s willingness of abiding by international law,”
Tan noted.

Giving information to journalists about the process, Tan said Turkey
has asked Armenia to establish a joint commission comprising Turkish
and Armenian experts to investigate the incidents that had occurred
in 1915.

Tan said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter
to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in April 2005 including this
suggestion.

“Upon the response letter of Kocharyan to Erdogan, a negotiation
process has started between the two countries to seek a common ground.

Three rounds of talks were held so far,” Tan indicated.

32 000 PEOPLE LEFT FOR ABROAD TO FIND WORK

A1+
[01:39 pm] 31 May, 2006

The main work of the population of the Gegharqounik region is
agriculture, small and medium business, fishing, service in the
tourism field, state and social service and work abroad.

According to statistics, the majority of the population engages
in agriculture. There are more than 42 thousand major agricultural
economies in the region. The rest struggles hard against poverty.

Another way of combating poverty is work abroad.

At present 32 000 people from the region are working abroad. Their
age ranges between 22 and 55. According to the investigations of the
Gegharqounik regional agency of the strategy national service, this
phenomenon is conditioned by the absence of jobs and low profitability
of agriculture.

TV Company “Qyavar” of Gavar

SABAH: RUSSIA BACKS TURKEY’S BID FOR NON-PERMANENT MEMBER IN UN SECURITY COUNCIL

Focus News, Bulgaria
May 31 2006

Moscow/Ankara. Russian Foreign Minister voiced support for Turkey’s
bid to join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in
2009-2010. He announced that in an interview, which he gave in Moscow
and which was published by the Turkish newspaper Sabah. Lavrov is on
an official visit to Turkey today.

The Russian Foreign Minister said the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
should not remain closed and isolated. He added that Iran should not
be left isolated. According to him, the Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan should meet again to seek a solution to the conflict in
Nagorny Karabakh.

RUSSIA PULLS OUT AMMUNITION, SELF-PROPELLED CANNONS

Civil Georgia, Georgia
May 31 2006

Ten trucks loaded with ammunition departed from the Russian military
base in Akhalkalaki and headed towards the Russian military base in
Gyumri, Armenia on May 31, the Georgian Ministry of Defense reported.

A trainload of 15 self-propelled cannon systems, also belonging to
the Akhalkalaki military base, departed on May 30 for the Russian
Federation.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Defense, the next stage of
the pull out of the Russian bases will be carried out on June 1,
when a trainload of military equipment will depart for Russia from
the Batumi military base.

ONLY 255 OR 25% OF 1010 OLD PEOPLE LIVING AT OLD PEOPLE’S HOMES OF ARMENIA HAS CHILDREN

Noyan Tapan
May 30 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. At present 4 state houses of old and
disabled people function in Armenia: 2 in Yerevan, one in Gyumri and in
Vardenis and 2 non-state ones in Lori and Kotayk. In total, 1010 old
people live at these homes. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed
by Anahit Gevorgian, Head of the Department on Old People’s Problems
of the Board on Problems of Disabled and Old People of RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues, 604 of the old people are women. A.Gevorgian
mentioned that no queues are formed for being admitted to homes of
old and disabled people in the recent years and the number of old
people living there has become stable. According to her, formerly
those applying to these homes were waiting for several years, while
now these issues are solved within a month and the number of these
people is not large, either. A.Gevorgian also said that in difference
to 1995-2000 when almost 70% of the old people living at old people’s
homes had children, today only 25% of them have children.

TRADE IS APPARANT IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE

A1+
[06:41 pm] 30 May, 2006

“The internal developments in Armenia have been determined by the
Karabakh conflict since 1988,” announced Aram Sargsyan, chairman
of the Armenian Democratic party today. He doesn’t expect any new
changes from the Aliyev – Kocharyan meeting as the expectations may
be only negative. According to him, Kocharyan will have to resist the
USA pressure and in case Bush succeeds to persuade Aliyev to use the
territory of Azerbaijan as a bridgehead against Iran, the Karabakh
conflict will be settled in Azeris favour.

“This is not the case when I shall laugh at Kocharyan’s
mistakes. Generally I am not delighted by the President’s mistakes,”
noted Aram Sargsyan. By the way, he also mentioned that though people
got tired of the Karabakh residents the Armenian society will support
the same Karabakh conflict once more and will demand the resignation
of the authorities in case the conflict is settled not in favour
of Armenians.

NA deputy Aram Sargsyan referred to the recent internal developments
and announced that they testify to the fact that the political,
economic and social crisis in the country is more profound than it
once seemed.

Aram Sargsyan respects the OYP decision to quit the Coalition but he
mentioned with regret that Arthur Baghdasaryan’s resignation and his
debate with the National Unity didn’t let the Parliament know about
“NA Speaker’s scandals with Robert Kocharyan which Arthur Baghdasaryan
announced himself.” Aram Sargsyan also noted that other representatives
of the Coalition didn’t comment on the OYP resignation.

According to Aram Sargsyan we shall face a severe phase of political
developments. The further political developments will be more
interesting starting from the September of 2007 when the parties will
convene sessions, party alliances will become known, and we shall
know which party cooperates with which one. Aram Sargsyan would
like parties to be united on ideological bases; and to be divided
into right and left alliances, but, “During the elections we shall
have business with such people who look down on others’ ideas and
suggestions who enter the political sphere to preserve their property,
thus the system won’t be changed.”

“The main fault of this system is that business in not independent in
it,” said Aram Sargsyan recalling Andranik Margaryan’s announcement
that “businessman may not countervail the authorities.” In Sargsyan’s
words though people are disappointed their attitude is the same. There
is a vast mass of people who are faithful to their principles, aren’t
sold and will vote guided by their heart remorse.

Aram Sargsyan claims that many people were eager to see “Justice”
bloc dissolved but their expectations blew up as the members of the
bloc are people who united on the ideological basis and who strive
to establish constitutional order in the country. And the bloc will
exist until it fulfills its objective.

NA new Speaker’s election has no political significance in his
words. “Armenia is a developing country. The Coalition doesn’t exist,
it has turned into a trade, and no political matters are solved in it,”
claims Sargsyan.

COMPTE RENDU DE L’ENTRETIEN ENTRE M. JACQUES CHIRAC ET M. ILHAM ALIEV

NEWS Press
30 mai 2006

Presidence de la Republique

Le President de la Republique a recu pour un entretien M. Ilham ALIEV,
President de la Republique d’Azerbaïdjan, venu a Paris a l’occasion de
l’Assemblee parlementaire de l’OTAN. Le President ALIEV a rencontre
des representants du MEDEF et il dejeune avec le President du Senat,
M. Christian PONCELET. Il a egalement inaugure la nouvelle ambassade
d’Azerbaïdjan a Paris.

Le President de la Republique et le President ALIEV se sont felicites
de l’excellence des relations bilaterales, qui se developpent très
rapidement. Les echanges commerciaux ont connu un triplement de leur
volume en 2005, pour atteindre 491 millions d’euros, et les entreprises
francaises se montrent de plus en plus interessees a s’implanter en
Azerbaïdjan, dans tous les secteurs.

Le President de la republique et le President ALIEV ont eu un echange
de vues sur la situation regionale, notamment en Iran, ainsi que sur
la question du Haut Karabagh, la France ayant accueilli a Rambouillet,
les 10 et 11 fevrier derniers, les 3 co-presidents du Groupe de Minsk
de l’OSCE et les Presidents d’Armenie et d’Azerbaïdjan.

Le President de la Republique a fortement reaffirme les principes
de la declaration commune des co-presidents du groupe de Minsk,
a l’occasion de leur recent sejour dans la region. En particulier,
le President de la Republique a rappele qu’il n’y a pas d’alternative
a un règlement pacifique et negocie. Il a souligne l’importance de la
paix pour l’Azerbaïdjan, l’Armenie et la region dans son ensemble. Il
a confirme la confiance de la France, telle qu’elle s’est manifestee
a Rambouillet et dans les deux capitales lors des contacts du Groupe
de Minsk, pour parvenir a ce règlement.

–Boundary_(ID_inevPQpBJ8nIIjiPF8M+zA) —

WORLD NO-TOBACCO DAY

A1+
[02:18 pm] 31 May, 2006

“Tobacco is deadly in any form – directly or indirectly”. With this
motto all the member countries of the World Health Organization
celebrated the World No-Tobacco Day – May 31.

The WHO calls on all the individuals and organizations join the combat
against tobacco. At present, according to Alexander Bazarchyan, the
coordinator of the tobacco control program of the Ministry of Health,
the number of smokers does not tend to increase in Armenia.

“If six years ago 63% of men and 1.2% of women smoked, now the
percentage of smoking men has decreased by 5-6%. As for women,
if they used to conceal the fact that they smoke, not they do it
more manifestly. In the capital 9% of 55-64-year old women and 5%
of the 25-30-year-old women smoke. In the regions their number is
much lower,” Alexander Bazarchyan says and adds that the children
make their first serious attempts of smoking at the age of 13-15.

The combat against tobacco started in 1960s in Great Britain and
the USA.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress